General Architectural Design Research Articles

Narratives in Generative Architectural Design: Exploring Sequential Functions and Usage.

Architecture still excludes users despite decades of increased attention towards the designing of built environments to accommodate all. Partially, this grand problem is due to the uncertainty and plurality of future usage, which challenge architects in identifying potentially excluding mechanisms of their designs. Common approaches in responding to these challenges are either top-down assessment of architecture, or bottom-up collection of situated accounts from users. However, both approaches face dilemmas in developing representations of usage. This paper presents a framework that integrates qualities of both approaches using user-narratives and a rule-based generative algorithm to generate libraries of designs that each depict potential usage reflecting the narrative of users. The aim is to give architects and other decision makers tools to conceptualise the future usage of their design as plural and diverse. The presented framework is at an early stage of development. However, the principles proposed could hold potential to mitigate exclusion by explicating multiple potential use-events.

Creative programming in architecture: a computational thinking approach

The creative programming language Processing can be used as a generative architectural design tool, which allows the designer to write design instructions (algorithms) and compute them, obtaining graphical outputs of great interest. This contribution addresses the inclusion of this language in the architecture curriculum, within the context of digital culture and alternative approaches to how digital tools are used and learned. It studies the different processes related to Computational Thinking that are triggered in the prototyping of computer applications and that lead to creativity. The similarity between architectural design and programming is analysed, both in problem solving (abstraction, decomposition, iterative revisions -debugging-, etc.) and in the use of mechanisms of a digital nature (loops, randomness, etc.). The results of the design and testing of a pilot course are shown, in which the way of teaching, learning and using this programming language is based on the graphical representation of problems through sketches.

Identifying Visualization Opportunities to Help Architects Manage the Complexity of Building Codes.

We report a study investigating the viability of using interactive visualizations to aid architectural design with building codes. While visualizations have been used to support general architectural design exploration, existing computational solutions treat building codes as separate from, rather than part of, the design process, creating challenges for architects. Through a series of participatory design studies with professional architects, we found that interactive visualizations have promising potential to aid design exploration and sensemaking in early stages of architectural design by providing feedback about potential allowances and consequences of design decisions. However, implementing a visualization system necessitates addressing the complexity and ambiguity inherent in building codes. To tackle these challenges, we propose various user-driven knowledge management mechanisms for integrating, negotiating, interpreting, and documenting building code rules.

Using Artificial Intelligence to Generate Master-Quality Architectural Designs from Text Descriptions

The exceptional architecture designed by master architects is a shared treasure of humanity, which embodies their design skills and concepts not possessed by common architectural designers. To help ordinary designers improve the design quality, we propose a new artificial intelligence (AI) method for generative architectural design, which generates designs with specified styles and master architect quality through a diffusion model based on textual prompts of the design requirements. Compared to conventional methods dependent on heavy intellectual labor for innovative design and drawing, the proposed method substantially enhances the creativity and efficiency of the design process. It overcomes the problem of specified style difficulties in generating high-quality designs in traditional diffusion models. The research results indicated that: (1) the proposed method efficiently provides designers with diverse architectural designs; (2) new designs upon easily altered text prompts; (3) high scalability for designers to fine-tune it for applications in other design domains; and (4) an optimized architectural design workflow.

Optimization and prediction in the early design stage of office buildings using genetic and XGBoost algorithms

Incorporating intelligent optimization algorithms in the early stages of office building design facilitates a better response to the local climate. The indoor and outdoor thermal performances of office buildings, such as solar radiation, indoor lighting, and outdoor thermal comfort, must be jointly evaluated during the conceptual design phase. Based on the technical framework of “performance-based generative architectural design”, this study constructs a data-driven workflow for comprehensive performance assessment and rapid prediction of office buildings. The method was then applied to an office building in the hot summer and cold winter regions of China. Based on a total of 6000 data samples generated by the iterative process of genetic optimization, this study achieved a precision of 0.77, recall of 0.59, and F-1 score of 0.75 for categorical prediction by the XGBoost algorithm. The method facilitates the optimization potential of integrated solar and thermal performances in the early design phase of office buildings while significantly improving the efficiency of interaction and feedback between design decisions and their performance evaluation.

The Swarm City - Characteristics of the Swarm Intelligence System in the Traditional Arab City

Specialized architectural studies based on the swarm concept have emerged for nearly two decades. The formation formula based on swarm intelligence is beginning to emerge as a methodological and conceptual basis for a range of generative architectural design strategies. The intelligence of the swarm and the logic on which the swarm system is based can be seen in traditional urban formations, where traditional cities follow models of sustainable natural processes, which best match the simple rules of the swarm system. Accordingly, the research problem was recognized as “the lack of a cognitive background for the characteristics of the swarm’s intelligence system and its function in the structure of the traditional Arab city fabric”. Therefore, to solve this problem, the significance of the natural systems and their impact on the sustainability of cities was determined, and the definition of the swarm city, and the theoretical base that supports the features of the swarm intelligence system was developed based on its items extracted in the analysis of the traditional Arab city and the structure of its historical fabric. The architectural dependence of swarm intelligence is not an attempt to mimic nature only but to examine the generative potential of swarm logic and draw emerging behavior in generating complex attributes in form, organization, pattern, or structure. Traditional Arab cities, in the structure of their historical fabric, follow the typical characteristics of a swarm intelligence system, in which systems of city formation are embodied according to characteristics of multiple agents, emerging collective behaviors, and highly coordinated self-organization.

Social Acceptance Prediction Model for Generative Architectural Spaces in India

Generative Architectural design is an emerging design process that is evolving due to evolution of computational power of computers and its ability to provide multiple choices of design solutions in architecture. This process, however, has a few drawbacks, some of which are, a high number of solutions which take less time for computers to produce than for their human counterpart to interpret and choose from and the less social acceptance of generative architectural design solutions. Due to the algorithms being unaware of what humans deem as acceptable solutions, these problems persist. A way to bridge such gap is through a survey simulation model, which the computer can apply to simulate acceptance of the created solution if it were put through a survey. A mathematical model has been developed though analysis of a survey such that a computer can predict how acceptable a particular iteration of a Generative Architectural design process is if it were put through a similar survey. Scores obtained in the survey simulation can be used to predict how acceptable a particular design iteration is there by culling less acceptable solutions and reducing the number of iterations provided to humans for review after running Generative Architectural algorithms.

Enhancing performance-based generative architectural design with sketch-based image retrieval: a pilot study on designing building facade fenestrations

Enhancing performance-based generative architectural design with sketch-based image retrieval: a pilot study on designing building facade fenestrations

The Use of Computerized Parametric Typology in the Generation of Single-Family Housing Designs

In the era of digital architecture, parametric design plays a fundamental role in the generative architectural design process. The most important of its benefits are that it allows a visual representation of the design process, a designer interaction during the construction of the parametric model using visual codes, the representation of steps sequentially and logically, in addition to the ability to adapt the model according to the client’s requirements and the designer's wishes, and to generate various design solutions and alternatives for the same model. Parametric Typology is an approach that combines typological design with computational parametric techniques in order to produce various designs that belong to a specific building type. The research problem revolves around the application of parametric Typology to generat initial designs for local housing. Previous studies have proposed different approaches in the implementation of parametric typology to designs ranging from urban scale, individual buildings, to building elements. The research presented a theoretical framework, drawn from previous studies, to clarify the concepts and techniques of parametric typology method. The methodology was applied to build parametric model using a visual algorithm in grasshopper software. Prototypes for single-family housing had been generated as a functional type that occupies the largest space in cities; in addition there is a huge demand for it. As a result of the study, initial models were implemented with variety of parametric in terms of the placement of activities and the number of spaces.

Review of Aerodynamic Design Configurations for Wind Mitigation in High-Rise Buildings: Two Cases from Amman

This study is concerned with reviewing and analyzing methods used in early design stages to mitigate wind effects on high-rise buildings. In order to mitigate wind effects on structures and specifically high-rise buildings, early stage aerodynamic design decisions are made. Architects try to mitigate the wind effects on buildings by choosing the right form configuration like tapering or setbacks, etc., or by making vital decisions in the early design stage. However, structural engineers utilize the structural system that can best counter-act forces acting on the stability of the building. For both architects and engineers there are many tools which can be used in early design including advanced analysis methods, wind tunnel testing and wind studies combined with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. This study reviews general architectural and structural design configurations performed in the early phases of the design process, for achieving structural stability, comfort and cost control. The research methodology depends on the study and analysis of different international building examples, and also by reviewing two local high-rise building cases in Amman, Jordan. The study concludes that there are many architectural aerodynamic configurations for the purpose of mitigating wind loads, which can be used as guidelines in the early design phases.

El collage: herramienta conceptual y compositiva del diseño arquitectónico de Richard Meier

El collage es una técnica común en el arte moderno y contemporáneo, incluso en la creación de cine. El collage combina motivos pictóricos y fragmentos de origines desconectados dentro de una entidad sintética que otorga nuevos roles a esas partes. En el diseño arquitectónico esta técnica genera nuevas narrativas, diálogos, y yuxtaposiciones que ayudan a la capacidad de imaginar el espacio. El proceso de creación de collages utilizado por el arquitecto Richard Meier es de gran importancia en la concepción general y diseño arquitectónico de todos sus proyectos. Cada collage cuenta una historia mediante unos principios organizativos, un manejo del espacio basado en figuras geométricas, retículas, proporciones que deben ser precisamente estudiadas y calculadas. La maravillosa estética, forma y organización espacial de los proyectos de Meier radican en la abstracción de una idea en una serie de collages. El recorrido por el análisis de los collages de Richard Meier, nos permite concluir que, en el proceso de creación de Meier, el collage, existe como gesto inicial arquitectónico; no existe improvisación en las ideas que lo generan y no es solo un elemento primario de comunicación sino de creación.

Modelling an Adaptive Cluster Head Positioning Based Map Reducing Strategy for Data Transmission in Medical IoT

Internet-of-things (IoT) based health monitoring systems have turned out to be an interesting topic to enhance quality of health care services. Moreover, there is no advanced IoT based continuous monitoring of glucose systems in real time and some prevailing techniques have numerous limitations. Here, a continuous and invasive glucose monitoring system for transmitting the condition of individuals simultaneously utilizing IoT is modelled and a general system architectural design for processing back end systems to provide body temperature, real time glucose and contextual data in human readable and graphical forms to the physicians or patients is anticipated. As well, a protocol designs for monitoring the continuous data from IoT devices in order to overcome the short comings of existing methods is provided. The design of an energy efficient routing algorithm is a hot topic in the research of IoT based Data mining. Cluster Heads (CH) form backbone of inter-cluster communication. The selection of reliable and efficient cluster head is another important issue. In most of the clustering process, failure of CH occurs due to energy depletion and if the distance between sink and CH is more, it ultimately leads to failure in transmission. During transmission, nodes may fail that means sudden energy loss or node gets out of coverage. Due to relaying high data traffic, some of nodes quickly exhaust their energy and increase the risk of node failure. As a baseline to node failure, data packet loss also occurs in a CH due to congestion and poor link quality. Hence, one of the most crucial feature in designing a protocol is to minimize energy consumption for betterment of network functioning. Here, a clustering routing protocol based on data mining techniques is applied for sensor nodes in medical field called Adaptive Positioning of Cluster Head based Map reducing (APCH-MR) is proposed. Routing table based code book is generated for privacy concern, in which the process of mapping and reducing the data for dissemination is performed. The simulated outcomes depicts that the total number of packets transmitted in round 500 is 11200, total number of dead nodes during round 500 is 58, and time consumed by nodes at 500 rounds is 0.3751s respectively. The proposed method shows better trade off in contrast to conventional techniques.

Modelling an Adaptive Cluster Head Positioning Based Map Reducing Strategy for Data Transmission in Medical IoT

Internet-of-things (IoT) based health monitoring systems have turned out to be an interesting topic to enhance quality of health care services. Moreover, there is no advanced IoT based continuous monitoring of glucose systems in real time and some prevailing techniques have numerous limitations. Here, a continuous and invasive glucose monitoring system for transmitting the condition of individuals simultaneously utilizing IoT is modelled and a general system architectural design for processing back end systems to provide body temperature, real time glucose and contextual data in human readable and graphical forms to the physicians or patients is anticipated. As well, a protocol designs for monitoring the continuous data from IoT devices in order to overcome the short comings of existing methods is provided. The design of an energy efficient routing algorithm is a hot topic in the research of IoT based Data mining. Cluster Heads (CH) form backbone of inter-cluster communication. The selection of reliable and efficient cluster head is another important issue. In most of the clustering process, failure of CH occurs due to energy depletion and if the distance between sink and CH is more, it ultimately leads to failure in transmission. During transmission, nodes may fail that means sudden energy loss or node gets out of coverage. Due to relaying high data traffic, some of nodes quickly exhaust their energy and increase the risk of node failure. As a baseline to node failure, data packet loss also occurs in a CH due to congestion and poor link quality. Hence, one of the most crucial feature in designing a protocol is to minimize energy consumption for betterment of network functioning. Here, a clustering routing protocol based on data mining techniques is applied for sensor nodes in medical field called Adaptive Positioning of Cluster Head based Map reducing (APCH-MR) is proposed. Routing table based code book is generated for privacy concern, in which the process of mapping and reducing the data for dissemination is performed. The simulated outcomes depicts that the total number of packets transmitted in round 500 is 11200, total number of dead nodes during round 500 is 58, and time consumed by nodes at 500 rounds is 0.3751s respectively. The proposed method shows better trade off in contrast to conventional techniques.

Biological Pattern Based on Reaction-Diffusion Mechanism Employed as Fabrication Strategy for a Shell Structure

This paper examines how generative architectural design processes aim to apply the principles of biological morphogenesis to the design and building of mechanical or architectural structures. Despite the revolution in computation aided design and interdisciplinary upgrades of digital fabrication technologies, design processes fail to acknowledge materials, tools and construction logic in an early design stage, as manifested in nature. The objective of this paper is to introduce a design workflow, based on the knowledge of the tool, material properties, design intuition and aesthetic criteria, to translate biological skin patterns to fabrication processes, incorporating three materials and procedures in a single parametric workflow. Mesh relaxation processes and weighted mesh graph representations are examined as design potentials for stripe organization in fabrication in analogy to numerical simulations of a reaction-diffusion (RD) mechanism. A thin shell and landscape emerge as a self-organizing system in equilibrium. The paper argues that skin patterns in fabrication open a new field for interdisciplinary investigation.

The comparative analysis of the methods of parametric, informational and generative architectural design

The comparative analysis of the methods of parametric, informational and generative architectural design

Usability of contemporary tools for the computational design of architectural objects: Review, features evaluation and reflection

This article is an overview focused on functionality and usability of selected contemporary approaches for the computational floor plan generation of architectural objects. This article describes current solutions for generative architectural design and focuses on their usability from the point of view of architectural design practice. Recent research papers and prototypes, as well as the most important tools (selected computer-aided design and BIM software) for generative design from the architectural perspective, are described. The functionalities and level of usability of present-day software and prototypes are described. In addition, the descriptive review of the research prototypes architectural design outcomes is present. Furthermore, the survey among active architects regarding the usage of computational tools in the professional practice and possible guidelines for the development of such tools are present. This article summarises with the conclusion about the current state of generative floor plan design tools, the lack of fully functional and developed commercial tools of this type on the market and future directions for the development of generative floor plans tools.

La maqueta: herramienta esencial en el proceso de diseño de Richard meier

El proceso de creación de maquetas utilizado por el arquitecto Richard Meier es de gran importancia en la concepción general y diseño arquitectónico de todos sus proyectos. Cada maqueta cuenta una historia mediante unos principios organizativos, un manejo del espacio interior basado en figuras geométricas, retículas, proporciones que deben ser precisamente estudiadas y calculadas mediante maquetas y pruebas para poder tener en cuenta cosas intangibles como la luz. La maravillosa estética y forma de los proyectos de Meier radican en la materialización de una idea abstracta en un sin número de maquetas. El recorrido por el análisis de las maquetas de Richard Meier, nos permite concluir que el proceso de maquetación de Meier existe como gesto inicial junto al dibujo en el proceso de diseño arquitectónico; no existe improvisación en las ideas que lo generan y la maqueta no es solo un elemento primario de comunicación sino de creación.

Pore size matters for potassium channel conductance.

Ion channels are membrane proteins that mediate efficient ion transport across the hydrophobic core of cell membranes, an unlikely process in their absence. K+ channels discriminate K+ over cations with similar radii with extraordinary selectivity and display a wide diversity of ion transport rates, covering differences of two orders of magnitude in unitary conductance. The pore domains of large- and small-conductance K+ channels share a general architectural design comprising a conserved narrow selectivity filter, which forms intimate interactions with permeant ions, flanked by two wider vestibules toward the internal and external openings. In large-conductance K+ channels, the inner vestibule is wide, whereas in small-conductance channels it is narrow. Here we raise the idea that the physical dimensions of the hydrophobic internal vestibule limit ion transport in K+ channels, accounting for their diversity in unitary conductance.

Computational Swarming: A Cultural Technique for Generative Architecture

After a first wave of digital architecture in the 1990s, the last decade saw some approaches where agent-based modelling and simulation (ABM) was used for generative strategies in architectural design. By taking advantage of the self-organisational capabilities of computational agent collectives whose global behaviour emerges from the local interaction of a large number of relatively simple individuals (as it does, for instance, in animal swarms), architects are able to understand buildings and urbanscapes in a novel way as complex spaces that are constituted by the movement of multiple material and informational elements. As a major, zoo-technological branch of ABM, Computational Swarm Intelligence (SI) coalesces all kinds of architectural elements – materials, people, environmental forces, traffic dynamics, etc. – into a collective population. Thereby, SI and ABM initiate a shift from geometric or parametric planning to time-based and less prescriptive software tools. Agent-based applications of this sort are used to model solution strategies in a number of areas where opaque and complex problems present themselves – from epidemiology to logistics, and from market simulations to crowd control. This article seeks to conceptualise SI and ABM as a fundamental and novel cultural technique for governing dynamic processes, taking their employment in generative architectural design as a concrete example. In order to avoid a rather conventional application of philosophical theories to this field, the paper explores how the procedures of such technologies can be understood in relation to the media-historical concept of Cultural Techniques.

Computational Swarming: A Cultural Technique for Generative Architecture

After a first wave of digital architecture in the 1990s, the last decade saw some approaches where agent-based modelling and simulation (ABM) was used for generative strategies in architectural design. By taking advantage of the self-organisational capabilities of computational agent collectives whose global behaviour emerges from the local interaction of a large number of relatively simple individuals (as it does, for instance, in animal swarms), architects are able to understand buildings and urbanscapes in a novel way as complex spaces that are constituted by the movement of multiple material and informational elements. As a major, zoo-technological branch of ABM, Computational Swarm Intelligence (SI) coalesces all kinds of architectural elements – materials, people, environmental forces, traffic dynamics, etc. – into a collective population. Thereby, SI and ABM initiate a shift from geometric or parametric planning to time-based and less prescriptive software tools. Agent-based applications of this sort are used to model solution strategies in a number of areas where opaque and complex problems present themselves – from epidemiology to logistics, and from market simulations to crowd control. This article seeks to conceptualise SI and ABM as a fundamental and novel cultural technique for governing dynamic processes, taking their employment in generative architectural design as a concrete example. In order to avoid a rather conventional application of philosophical theories to this field, the paper explores how the procedures of such technologies can be understood in relation to the media-historical concept of Cultural Techniques.